UB Faculty Teams Receive Multidisciplinary Research Grants

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Thirteen faculty teams at the University at Buffalo with excellent ideas for original, multidisciplinary research have been awarded grants totaling more than $250,000 by the university.

The grants, ranging from $18,000 to $20,000, are part of a UB program, now in its fourth year, designed to provide seed funding for multidisciplinary pilot projects in order to improve their chances of attracting external support.

Applications were evaluated by expert reviewers at other institutions around the world who had no personal or financial ties to the applicants. Proposals with the highest ratings were funded.

Research projects had to be in an area central to UB's graduate-education, research and public-service goals. Special consideration was given to proposals that crossed traditional boundaries of distinctly different disciplines.

• HIV Infection of Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Adherence of Potentially Enterovirulent Escherichia Coli, John Crane, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine

• Virtual Abdominal Examination Using an Instrumented Glove and Fuzzy Neural Network, David Ellis, M.D., clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine

• Impact of Prednisone on Collagen Metabolism in Dystrophic Mouse Diaphragm Muscle, Luc Gosselin, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy, exercise and nutrition sciences

• Role of Lipids in Cold Tolerance of Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) in the Great Lakes, Todd Hennessey, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences

• Mechanism of Retina-Specific Expression of Rhodopsin Kinase (RK), Shahrokh C. Khani, assistant professor of ophthalmology

• Neurological Dysfunction Secondary To Disturbances of Breathing, John A. Krasney, Ph.D., professor of physiology and biophysics

• Hormone Therapy and Ascorbic Acid Status in Postmenopausal Women, Shiu-Ming Kuo, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy, exercise and nutrition sciences

• Effects of Depressive Emotions on Airways in Asthma, Bruce D. Miller, associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics

• Software and Intellectual Property: A Pilot Investigation in Legal Ontology, Barry Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy

• Non-inflammatory Inducible Proinflammatory Cytokine Production in Neurons, Robert N. Spengler, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of dentistry

• An Empirical Investigation of Concurrent Engineering Practices and Their Impact on Firm Performance, Nallan C. Suresh, Ph.D., associate professor of management science and systems